There must be around 1000 shows that come every year. But some series are there, which just give a different level of satisfaction altogether. For me and many others too, BREAKING BAD is one such series. The slow-burner series based on a high school teacher-turned-dreaded criminal is a great mix of bone-chilling raw thrill along with deep-diving family emotions. It has blood, it has meth, and it also has tears. It presents multiple moments where you watch some 5-10 minutes of your screen completely with an open mouth. Now, there are multiple factors that make the series so great and is even considered the Greatest of All Time.

Hell Yeah…Bitch…!!!!!

Plot

The plot of the whole series revolves around a middle-aged man Walter White, who is a LOSER in life. He is an ordinary high school chemistry teacher. His wife and his son suffering from cerebral palsy think of him as a very weak and average person, and ‘sympathise’ him more than they ‘love’ him.  During his young days he had developed an idea, and along with two friends decided to materialise it. But his two friends (husband-wife) slowly sidelined him and he got out. The idea went on to become a billion-dollar company with no share of Walt, the man whose idea it was. He LOST.

A huge turn comes in his life, when he develops cancer, although he discloses it to the family, he refuses to take treatment thinking if he dies, he will leave his family in debt. But, then he decides that he will have to leave his family with enough money to sustain themselves. He decides to use all his ‘skills’ monetarily. Then, he meets his ex-student Jesse Pinkman, who is a brat involved in taking drugs and making petty drug trade. He suggests to him “I know the Science…you know the Business”.

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They start “cooking” meth (methamphetamine drugs) and their ‘blue drugs’ come out 99% pure (a rarity for such drugs). Slowly, as the demand for their product started increasing, they start delving into the dark and bloody world of crime. But little did they realise that as easy they are finding getting into it, the harder it will be for them to get out of it.

While one challenge was awaiting them in the criminal world, the other twist existed right in their backyard. Firstly, he keeps on hiding his truth from the family. Secondly, Walt’s brother-in-law, along with his wife is as much part of his family as his wife and son. For a great twist in the plot, Hank is himself a DEA Agent and slowly starts investigating the case, whose mastermind is none other than Walt. This brings loads of twists and thrills to the story, and ultimately a confrontation leads to the climax.

A still from meth being cooked in Breaking Bad (Photo Credit: SciTechDaily)

Walter WHITE and Jessy PINKMAN

The two very different personalities decide to collaborate with the aim of earning loads of money. What follows is a very unique partnership. While, Jessy is very emotional and careless, often taking decisions without thinking of the repercussions. Walt on the other hand is mature, extremely shrewd and stays at least ten steps ahead of the situation. Most of their time goes into cooking (meth) and fighting over small things in the most childish fashion. But, the bond they end up developing is beyond just partners. Despite anything that happens between them, they won’t let the other come in danger and will always have each other by their back. There come times when they save each other’s life by risking their own. But there also comes a time when they actually stand up against each other, which eventually leads to their (especially’s Walt) downfall.

Walter White in one of the very famous and interesting still from the series (Photo credit: Vanity Fair)

Deep and Detailed Characters

The main strength of the whole series is its characters. Not just the characters of Walt and Jessy, but every character has been defined with extreme precision and has got a backstory of his own. The life of Walt’s wife Skyler White is portrayed extremely well. What she goes through after knowing about Walt’s criminal activities. How she somehow tries to save her children from what she thinks is dangerous. And…the final contradictory stage of her life. Although she loves Walt, she also loves her children.

The character of Hank Shrader too is prepared very well. He is a super honest cop who will go to any limit to serve his country, even if it means arresting his brother-in-law and breaking down the whole family. All the while carrying out the investigation, he faces stiff challenges. He undergoes one attack by the drug cartel and somehow survives, his team doesn’t trust him, and his mental health falters. But, he sticks to his belief and ultimately is able to get the better of Mastermind Walt.

Saul Goodman an interesting character with spinoff (Photo Credit: Radio Times)

Gustavo Fring one of the greatest villains of all time (Photo Credit: Time)

The Character of Gus Fring is another interesting and devilish one in the series. He gets impressed with Walt, hires him and even treats him like his main aide. But once he starts having differences with him and once he thinks that Walt is a threat to his business, he goes on to become his BIGGEST enemy. The way he transforms his personality and the way he speaks so much with subtle expressions is a class act. Also, even after being a proper villain, he too has a backstory, which somehow shows us his side.

Another interesting character who later got a whole series made on him is Saul Goodman. A lawyer, with a dark past, who currently manages the money of criminal associates and launders them into ‘white’ business. More than just a lawyer, he eventually becomes Walt’s most trusted aide who saves him on multiple occasions. Other than these, almost all other characters have something unique and catchy in them, which never allows a dull moment in the series.

Someone has to protect the family from the man who protects the family…!!!!!

The BEST Acting

Now I know that there were a lot of good performances in the series, including the ones I talked about above, but the lead performance is just out of this world. BRYAN CRANSTON has portrayed the role of Walter White so exceptionally, that I will fall short of words in heaping praises on it. His transformation from an average and weak person to an absolutely dreaded cook. It’s not that his whole transformation came upright after a particular episode. The fact that he brought this transformation gradually, making the audience feel it, is what makes it so unbelievable.

Also, portraying such a dark character usually makes the audience hate you. If it had been ANYONE else, the audience would have surely lost him. But Bryan has played it just so well, and in such a way that you not even for once don’t sympathise with Walt’s character. I personally like watching such grey-shaded characters more, and Walt’s character was an absolute delight for me in that regard.

Walter White in the darkest and most heartbreaking episode of OZYMANDIAS (Photo Credit: ScreenCrush)

OZYMANDIAS (Spoilers Ahead)

Ultimately, Walt’s greed starts getting the better of him and a thing which he started just because he was in NEED of money, becomes his PASSION. Despite several setbacks and clear risks visible, and despite having a garage full of money, Walt refuses to stop. Why will he? For the first time in his life, his real WORTH is being realised and he is able to reap the rewards of his skills. Slowly, he even indulges in getting any ‘threat’ to his business removed, even if that means killing some innocent lives and putting some more in danger. He goes on to eventually become an identity himself ‘HEISENBERG’ in the criminal world.

But the end was not going to be on the lines Walt was thinking. In the climax of the series, Walt and Hank come face to face as the latter comes to know about the whole nexus brewing. Although Walt doesn’t even intend to hurt his brother-in-law, the criminal setup that he had entered, results in Hank bearing the brunt eventually by getting killed. In the end, Walt’s own family for which he was working so hard, disowns him and refuses to take even a penny of his earnings. They even tell him to die, which is the most heartbreaking scene in the series.

The Epic Hank and Walt confrontation scene (Photo Credit: Pinterest)

GILLIVERSE

The series is created by Vince Gilligan. He has done a couple of more projects, but he is mainly known for Breaking Bad, and two more spin-offs. The movie titled ‘El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie’ is the epilogue to where the Breaking Bad series ends. After Walt, it just shows what happens to the character of Jesse, who apparently had a purer heart with no evil intentions. Another spin-off series is ‘Better Call Saul’, which is primarily based on the character of Saul Goodman but explores almost all main characters in Breaking Bad. It is set in a time before that of Breaking Bad and by the end, it crosses its timeline, with one special episode titled ‘Breaking Bad’. The three contents of these, are collectively known as ‘Gilliverse’.

A guy opens his door and gets shot and you think that of me? No. I am the one who knocks…!!!!!

The FLY Episode

Yes…there was one episode wholly on Walt’s and Jessy’s struggle in killing a fly which had entered their chemical lab. Now, let me make it very clear that the episode was not at all boring. Instead, the whole episode has a proper dose of emotions, humour and thrill. Walt talks about how his life changed when he entered the meth business, and how his need went on to become his necessity. The episode presents a much different side of Walt. Ultimately Jessy kills down the bee. But when he sees that Walt has slept after being tired, he puts a jacket over him and leaves. It again shows the bond they had despite all the daily fights.

The statue of Walt and Jesse in Albuquerque (Photo Credit: Collider)

Unique Initiatives

One specific trend that was started in this series was putting a small clip, before the montage and the actual episode. The small clip could be just anything. Sometimes, they presented a clip from the same episode, sometimes a clip from an episode that is going to come later, and sometimes even a unique hypothetical clip. Now, what this did was it raised the excitement of the viewer straight away even if the episode is slow.

Plus, there are some moments or some particular scenes that have been exceptionally crafted. You can’t and won’t see anything like anywhere else. Whether it is the famous ‘Plate’ scene or that epic ‘Pizza’ scene. The setups that Walt will create to get his enemies will just blow your minds off, and for the sake of your excitement, I won’t reveal those scenes.

Say My Name…HEISENBERG…you’re goddamn right…!!!!!

The GREATEST Series EVER Made

Finally, after describing all these elements, the only thing I can say is that Breaking Bad is well and truly the BEST series that has been made till date. The level of satisfaction it leaves you with, once you finish the series is on a different level altogether. The storyline keeps you hooked throughout. Even after you know what Walt is doing is wrong, since you know his past and his side of things, you are just not ready to hate him. The acting, direction, and cinematography are all class apart, making it a delightful watch. Another strength of teh series is the small anecdotes and symbolism that are used throughout. The exact place where Walt and Jesse first cooked, also marks the place where Walt’s whole empire breaks down and their partnership ends.

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Walt keeps on saying “Whatever I did…I did it for my family” to somehow convince himself, but ultimately he accepts the truth that it was not his family but only him that he was serving. He was trying to use his skills, realise his worth and for the first time was trying to WIN in his life. So, he ultimately accepts “Whatever I did…I did for myself”. Now, the only thing I can recommend is that if ever you try to watch a series, Breaking Bad is one series that must be on the top of your watchlist. This series despite being slow and long is FLAWLESS and has NO Dull moments, ultimately being an immensely delightful and satisfying watch. This is the story of Blood, Meth and Tears.

I am not in danger Skyler…I am the danger…!!!!!